


The Reason Is You

by justamarshmallow



Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Explicit Sexual Content, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:08:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27643244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justamarshmallow/pseuds/justamarshmallow
Summary: Set six months after Provider. Everyone can see how much Angel and Cordelia love each other, but the two still won't own up to their feelings for one another. When Angel has another encounter with a Mohra demon and becomes human again. When he realizes that he will be useless in an upcoming battle, he makes a deal with the Powers That Be that will prove to Cordelia how much he truly loves her. Eventual crossover with BuffyRating for adult language and a little bit of smut!Reviews will make me very very happy!
Relationships: Angel/Cordelia, Buffy/Spike, Fred/Gunn, Willow/Tara, Xander/Anya
Comments: 8
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

Post Provider. After another encounter with Mohra demons, Angel becomes human, but when Cordelia gets a vision of the Fang Gang dying in an upcoming battle he makes a deal with the PTB, who tells him that he must sacrifice a part of his future for him and his loved ones to keep his human memories. Rated M for language, smut, and violence. Eventual crossover with BTVS.

Set six months after Provider. Everyone can see how much Angel and Cordelia love each other, but the two still won't own up to their feelings for one another. When Angel has another encounter with a Mohra demon and becomes human again. When he realizes that he will be useless in an upcoming battle, he makes a deal with the Powers That Be that will prove to Cordelia how much he truly loves her. Eventual crossover with Buffy

Disclaimer: I don't own these amazing characters, if I did the show would have ended so much differently! No profit is being made off of this, it's for entertainment purposes only.

Reviews will make me very very happy!

The Reason Is You

Chapter One

"Angel Investigations, we help the helpless" Cordelia tried to sound cheerful, but she was exhausted from the previous night. It was nothing new these days, she felt like she hadn't stayed in her own apartment in months. The business was booming, which was a good thing, but balancing saving the world with visions from the PTB and helping raise a now crawling baby was exhausting; still, she wouldn't trade it for the world.

After she took down the potential client's information, she grabbed her coffee mug and went to get herself a refill. That's when she noticed them, the green-skinned man like demons who came crashing through the doors of the Hyperion Hotel.

"Angel! We've got company!" she yelled towards the back office, where Angel had just gotten Conner to take a nap. Wes was off consulting with an old friend about a prophecy he had recently translated, Gunn and Fred were out to lunch, leaving the vampire with a soul and the part demon seer alone. When Angel bolted from the office and saw the three demons, a look of shock instantly covered his usual brooding face."You have to destroy the jewel on their forehead," he said flatly, catching the sword that Cordelia had tossed his way. He'd encountered these demons before, but that was a day only he remembered. In seconds the demons were tried to get the advantage, all three coming after Angel. It was their mission, what they were hired for. Assassin demons, just another day at the office. Cordelia ran to grab another sword from the weapons cabinet but was stopped when one of Mohra demons threw her into the front counter, screaming in pain she kicked the demon hard enough that he stumbled backward while she jumped back to her feet, ignoring the pain from the gash on her head. Looking behind the counter she grabbed the first thing she could find, Wesley's newest prized possession, a priceless ax that had an inscription carved into it. Without hesitation she swung it around, causing it to slice through the demon's neck, taking its head completely off. When the green glowing blood sprayed everywhere, she gave Angel a disgusted glare before using all of her force to smash the red jewel on its forehead with the ax.

Quickly she ran over to where Angel was cornered by the other two, one which had already used its nails to cut through the vampire's shirt, which was now soaked in blood, Angel kicked that one away, sending it flying towards Cordelia and the blood-covered ax, the brunette seer then gave the demon the same treatment as she had given his friend, while Angel killed the other. Once the fight was over Cordelia rushed over to him, worried about the strange look on his face.

"Our blood mixed" was all he could say, Cordelia gave him a clueless glance as she helped him to the couch to patch him up, not worried about her own bleeding wound on the back of her head.

"If that's that worst that happened, I'm going to say get the hell over it.." she mumbled as she collapsed next to him. As if it were on cue, Gunn and Fred came through the door, instantly worried when they saw the three headless demons dead on the ground

"What the hell happened here?" Gunn asked, seeing his two slime-covered friends exhausted on the couch

"The same thing that happens at least once a week, nasty demons broke in and tried to kill us." The hazel-eyed woman glared, looking down at her ruined clothes, "and this shirt was new! God I don't get paid enough for this..." she grumbled, wincing in pain as Fred touched the back of her head to see where the blood was coming from.

"I'll get the first aid kit.." the petite girl spoke, looking at Angel who still had an awed kind of look on his face."How did you know how to kill them anyway?" Cordelia questioned, looking over at him.

"One almost killed me and Buffy the last time she was in town.." he admitted, looking over at the woman who had taken out two of the demons by herself. Her eyes widened as her mouth suddenly formed a perfect 'o' shape. After Cordelia had learned that he lied about sleeping with Darla, part of her terms to forgive him was that he had to confess everything he had lied to her about, including when twenty-four hours of her memory was wiped because of his last encounter with a Mohra demon. Now they both shared the same concerned looks.

"What aren't you telling us..?" Gunn was suspicious now as he saw the worried looks wash over his friends, "they're dead so it's done.."

"Whose first?" Fred looked between the two, only nodding as Angel pointed to Cordelia.

Neither one of the two answered, it wasn't Cordelia's place to tell, and Angel didn't know how to explain that as they sat there he was quickly becoming human. He could feel it already, the blood pumping through his veins as his heart slowly started to beat once again. Cordelia on the other hand was dealing with an entirely different range of emotions. Happiness for him, but selfish hurt for herself; she had no doubt that now that he was human he would run off to find Buffy, taking Conner away so that he could have the life he always wanted with the slayer he had been in love with for years. She didn't complain about the pain as Fred stitched up her gash, when it was done she stood up without saying a word, walking off to the office to check on Conner.

The eight-month-old was sleeping peacefully when she got there, he hadn't woken up at all during the fight. She tried to fight the tears that started to form when she saw the sleeping baby, but she lost the battle against herself. As the tears began to fall she let her fingers softly run through Conners's baby soft hair.

"I'm going to miss you more than you can possibly know little guy.." she whispered, being careful not to wake him. Wiping away stray tears she left the office, not looking at anyone as she mumbled something about going home to clean up. She was about to lose the two most important people in her life, and she had no idea how she'd be able to go on without them.

Hours passed, and after taking a shower, changing into clean clothes, Cordelia still didn't go back to the hotel. She couldn't take hearing all of the excitement over Angel being human, knowing that it was only a matter of time before he was off to Sunnydale. It would hurt too much; she couldn't handle hearing his plans. So instead she stayed curled up with a blanket on her couch, thinking about what her future would be like now. A seer without her champion, a surrogate mother without her child, a lonely twenty-one year old without her best friend and the man she was in love with.

She ignored the knock at the door, not wanting to face anyone just yet. Tears kept falling as she thought about everything that had happened in her life since running into Angel nearly four years ago. Everything they had been through together, the person who she had become because of him.

"Hey.." she heard a voice speak, using the blanket to dry off her tear-streaked face she looked up at him. Angel.

"I thought you'd be halfway to Sunnydale by now.." she mumbled, looking back down at her hands

"What? Why..?" he seemed to be genuinely confused by the idea when Cordelia gave him a 'why do you think' look, realization set in. "That's why you left.." he finally got it, sitting next to her he shook his head. He had to tell her the truth, she needed to know. "I'm not going anywhere," Angel promised, a soft smile forming on his lips as she looked over at him.

"Why? This is what you've been fighting for.. your redemption, becoming human.." a sniffle caused her to stop speaking for a second, "you have the chance to be with the woman you love, to give Conner a family.. why stay?" Angel couldn't believe what he was hearing, was she honestly that clueless?

"Conner already has a mother" he stated, it was now or never, taking a breath he nervously set his hand on her interlaced ones, watching as she slowly let herself look him in the eyes for the first time since he told her about the demon, "I do love Buffy," he stared, causing her to flinch, "but not in the way you think. She and I tried, but it didn't work out for a reason. The reason was you." Her eyebrows raised, and instantly she pushed his hand off of her.

"Me? You're blaming me for you and Buffy not working out? I didn't do anything!" she snapped, obviously not understanding what he meant. He couldn't help but grin, only Cordelia would snap at him when he was trying to explain that she was the reason, because he was in love with her.

"Yes, I'm blaming you.." he finally said, amusement in his voice as she glared, completely unaware of his feelings. "Because you made me realize that what Buffy and I had... as great as it was, it was nothing compared to what I could have. I could never have a family with her... I could never count on her to be there for me even after I made mistakes. She's not the girl that I want to spend my life with... that I want to be the mother of my son."

"Again. How the hell is that my fault?" she seemed truly offended as she interrupted him.

"Because you are that girl." He finally told her, "the way that you are with Conner, taking care of him as if he has always belonged to you. The way that you have never turned your back on me even when I deserved it, you're wrong, you did everything.. you showed me I could have a life that I never even dreamed of because I knew I didn't deserve it. I didn't deserve you, I still don't... But I'm not going to miss my chance. I love you, how do you not know that already? I am completely in love with you Cordelia and if you think I would walk away from you, or take Conner away from the only mother he will ever know you really are crazy." It was out. He told her. He watched her carefully as her expression changed from anger to confusion, to something entirely different. Her eyes were filling up with tears again, but for something different now. She didn't say anything, she couldn't, no words could possibly explain her feelings

Cordelia looked at him in a way that she never had before, a smile appearing on her face for the first time since the fight. She slowly lifted her hand up to his face, softly letting her fingers glide against his skin, before finally letting her lips crash against his. What started out as a loving, sweet, and gentle kiss instantly turned needy. Their lips didn't part an inch as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his lap. Their tongues challenged each other's; moving together in perfect sync. Cordelia's hands moved down his chest, carefully unbuttoning the bottom button, moving up as quickly as she could before she grew impatiently and tore his shirt open, causing the remaining buttons to pop off and bounce across the hardwood floors. Angel pulled back for a second and looked at her lovingly, an amused grin appearing on her face.

"I'll buy you a new one" she promised before her lips attacked his once again, using her hands to free him of the rest of the fabric of the shirt. The slight coldness of her hands caused him to tremble a bit when her fingers traced along his now bare chest and down to his abs. Angel let his hands move underneath her tank top against her soft warm skin, all the way up her back where he discovered that she wasn't wearing a bra, it made his grin grow wider. In a matter of seconds, the gray tank top was discarded and he had moved his lips from hers down to her neck, nibbling softly at her skin causing a quiet moan to escape her throat.

Angel picked her up, her arms and legs wrapped around him as her lips went back to his automatically while he carried her to her bed, laying her down gently before sitting next to her. She was looking up at him, her face clean of any makeup, her hair still damp from her shower. He breathed in as he took in all of her beauty, she was perfect in every single way. Then she smiled; he thought he'd melt. Her fingers interlaced with his as she pulled him down to her level, her other hand resting on the back of his head as she pulled him into another perfect kiss. Quickly he kicked his shoes off and rolled on top of her, his knees on each side of her perfectly toned body. His lips moved to her neck again, slowly moving south until he reached her full breasts, the cool touch of his hand causing both nipples to become erect in an instant. Her head was spinning, every little touch had her on edge and wanting more. As his tongue swirled around one of her nipples another soft moan escaped, his other hand was gently massaging her other breast. Cordelia couldn't think of a time where she had been so completely happy, her stomach instinctively sucked in as he continued to move his head down, kissing down to her navel. His hands slowly moved down her sides, his fingers locking on the top of her shorts and the G string she wore underneath. He paused; looking up at her as if he was asking for permission, a small nod was all he needed before he removed the remaining pieces of clothing. As he did so he lifted one of her legs, his hand running up and down the smooth surface before he began to leave a trail of kisses from her ankle to her thigh, placing her foot down on the bed. He moved her other leg apart more as he continued kissing up her thigh. His heart was racing, he had wanted this for so long and thought he'd never get it. In one swift move his tongue he tasted her for the first time. To his delight, she was already insanely wet, his tongue moved roughly between her folds, purposely avoiding her clit, knowing it would drive her crazy. Angel wanted to grin when he heard her gasp, her breathing quickening with every little touch. She tasted incredible; he couldn't get enough of her. He moved one of his hands down, backing his head away from her for a brief second, letting his fingers touch her, feeling her body shake beneath him. He continued to rub her, feeling her continue to grow wetter by the second, his thumb moved to her clit, rubbing it gently at first as his tongue went back to work. He used his other hand to spread her legs apart more before letting his middle finger slide between her folds, teasingly entering her for a second before rubbing more. Hearing her light moans and fast breathing only made him want to keep going. Angel moved his hand away from her clit, letting his tongue finally flick it just as his middle finger entered her. His hand moved up to massage her breast, his finger pumping in and out of her while his tongue roughly flicked her nub before sucking on it for a moment, feeling her hips buck slightly. She was so amazingly tight, when he let a second finger enter her he could hear her wince in pain but he didn't stop, soon enough her moans were beginning to grow louder. Her fingers moved through his hair, tugging on it as she felt herself growing closer and closer. Every time his fingers plunged into her she could feel herself about to go over the edge until he sucked on her clit again while his tongue continued to move against it. The sensation was enough to make her scream, he could feel the cum as it dripped down his fingers, didn't stop, he kept going as her hips bucked against him, her entire body shaking, and her fingers pulling so hard on his hair that he was surprised none of it came out.

Cordelia took him by surprise when she began to regain control of her body, pulling him up to her by his hair and kissing him. It was nowhere near as gentle as the first kiss they had shared, it was rough, her way of telling him just how much she wanted him. As soon as he was face to face with her again, her hands moved down his chest, stopping at his belt which she unbuckled and discarded in record time. She didn't take a beat before unbuttoning his pants, pushing them down as much as she could. Angel kicked them off, gasping when he felt the warmth of her hands wrapping around his already rock hard cock. It took all of the strength he had not to cum right then. He helped her push his boxers off while she continued to let her hand rub up and down his dick before her other hand pushed down on his back. He looked down at her, her eyes were practically begging him, the anticipation of what was about to happen made his entire body shake. Slowly he lowered himself onto her, gently entering her. Cordelia bit her lip, he was a lot bigger than anyone she'd been with. Her eyes closed as he filled her completely, it hurt for a moment, but he gave her a second to adjust. He rocked his body slowly, still letting her get used to his size, and he was still getting used to how incredibly tight she was. In all of his years, with all of the other women he'd been with.. nothing felt as amazing as being inside her. He picked up his pace a little more, but he didn't want to rush it. Each slow thrust made him feel more and more alive, he'd never felt this close to anyone. He could feel his heart beating even faster as his thrusts became quicker, rougher; he wanted to be as deep inside of her as possible. He groaned as her nails dug into his back, his lips moving to her neck, kissing, licking, and biting at it as he continued to glide in and out of her perfectly tight hole. He was surprised once again when she used all of her strength to roll them over, straddling him. She had a wild look in her eyes as she began to ride him, slowly at first but before too long her hips were moving at an incredibly fast pace. Cordelia's hands fell to his thighs, squeezing them as her back arched, bending almost into a full backbend as she continued to move on top of him.

"Damn" he groaned, completely amazed at her flexibility, he knew she was a cheerleader, but damn. It was his turn to surprise her, he sat up quickly, his hands getting a good grip on her thighs before he stood up, using his strength to lift her off of his cock before slamming back down, she screamed, and God did he love the sound of her screams in his ear. He kept going, and her moans became louder by the second. He laid her back down on her back, her legs spreading into a full split as he continued to pound her, he bent over her, using his teeth to take one of her nipples into his mouth, his tongue flicking at it viciously as she squealed beneath him, his thumb began to rub her clit quickly. As she felt herself about to cum again, she pulled him down on top of her hard, her legs wrapping around his waist as she pulled herself up, trying to get him as deep inside her as humanly possible. His entire body began to shake as he continued to pound into her tight little pussy, he could feel himself building up, he didn't know how much longer he could hold off. As her muscles began to tighten around his cock he forced himself to keep going, she had to get there with him. Harder, faster, deeper, her nails dug into his chest violently as she let out a moan, the feeling of her exploding all over him sent him over the edge. He kept thrusting deep into her as he started to cum, hard. Angel collapsed on top of her, still thrusting into her as he continued to cum, her tightening muscles milking him completely dry. Soon, his movements stopped altogether as he lay on top of her, both of them covered in each other's sweat, trying to catch their breath. Cordelia's eyes were closed, taking in everything from the moment, not ever wanting the wave of pleasure to stop. She smiled as she felt his lips brush against her forehead, opening her eyes for a second she stared up at him.

"Angel..?" she said quietly as he rolled off of her, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"Hm?" he was still out of breath when he looked over at her, smiling as he pushed a piece of her stray dark locks behind her ear.

"I love you too." Cordelia grinned, watching the look that he gave her, he was so amazed at how lucky he had gotten. He didn't say anything back to her, she knew he loved her. Instead, he just brought her closer, kissing her lips gently. Moments passed and the two just stayed there, perfectly happy in each other's arms. When the light went off Angel glanced over at Cordelia, who at that point was thinking the same thing as he was.

"Was Dennis in the room the whole time..?" he questioned, chuckling when he saw the gorgeous brunette burst into laughter.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cordelia has a vision of an upcoming battle in Sunnydale and it's up to Team Angel to help save the world. Angel pays a visit to the Powers That Be before a last hurrah at the beach with his friends. Willow and Tara pay a visit to help keep Conner and Lorne safe while the team heads to Sunnydale.

Chapter Two:

"No no no, not now..." Cordelia whined, shooting straight up in her bed as she was shaken awake by a vision. The visions weren't as painful, not since becoming part-demon, however, she could still feel the fear, smell the burning flesh and see her old friends dying. "Angel..." she mumbled, pushing him so he'd wake up. He opened his eyes quickly, wrapping his arms around her as he saw the fear on her face.   
"What'd you see?" He questioned, though he was afraid of the answer.   
"The Hellmouth, it's going to be opened... So many demons, someone is trying to overload Buffy so they can kill her... again." The brunette, who wasn't exactly Buffy's number one fan, explained. Still, she did care about the slayer and the group of friends around her. "It'll be open in a week... They're all going to die if we don't help them." She told him, but that wasn't even the worst part. "Angel, you can't win this fight as a human..."   
"I don't have a choice..." He told her, but they both knew that wasn't true.   
"Angel, in my vision... you were a vampire again. Which means the Powers That Be will turn you back..." Cordelia mumbled, thinking about the last time they had done so, "don't let them take my memory... Please, don't let them take this from us." She pleaded, tears forming in her hazel eyes.   
"I won't let them take anything from us..." He promised, her champion. "When do we need to go?" he questioned, letting out a breath while he still could.   
"I'll call Willow and let her know what I saw... Have her come set up some sort of magical security for Lorne and Conner. We're going to need everyone if we're going to win this fight." She sighed, laying her head on his shoulder.  
"We should get to the hotel and let everyone know what's going on..." Angel told her, kissing her temple sweetly before getting out of bed and getting dressed.   
"I'm going to take a shower, I'll meet you there." She nodded, grinning a bit as she stood up so she could kiss him goodbye. As much as she hated that their night of happiness was going to be the only one, she was just happy that they were finally on the same page. Neither of them was hiding their feelings anymore.   
"And Angel," she smiled, "I love you."   
"I love you too," he smiled, a smile only Cordy could get from the typically brooding vampire. 

An hour passed and the whole Angel Investigations team was sitting in the lobby of the hotel, listening carefully as Cordelia explained her vision, all while holding baby Conner on her hip.   
"I've already talked to Willow, she's explaining everything to Buffy and the others..." Cordy informed them, "looks like we'll be closing our doors for the foreseeable future." she sighed, looking around at the office, the home they had created for themselves.   
"Enough of the vision... does this mean Angel can't be human anymore?" Gunn finally asked the question that was on everyone's mind.   
"It does... at least for now, in my vision he was back to being a vampire, so he has to go make a deal with the Powers That Be..." She explained, and everyone could see the pain on her face as she spoke. Cordelia had no idea what the deal would entail, just that it couldn't be good. The PTB would give, but also take as they felt necessary.   
"And you and Angel?" Fred asked the other question that was on everyone's mind. The group wasn't blind, everyone knew that the vampire with a soul and his warrior of a seer were in love, they probably saw it before the two of them had.   
"Will figure everything out in time... For now, we need to be focused on this mission." Angel told everyone, but all of them noticed how his arm found its way firmly around Cordelia's waist, his hand resting on the hip that Conner wasn't attached to. None of them could hide their smiles. While no one said it, they were all thinking the same thing. It was about fucking time.   
"Willow and Tara will be here tomorrow to set up a spell for Lorne and Conner. We don't need any trouble while we're gone." Cordy explained again, "we don't need anything extra to worry about while we're gone. We'll check in every day, and if you need anything, you call..." That part was for Lorne, who nodded at the seer, he knew how much she loved the little boy, it was as if he belonged to her.   
"When are we returning to Sunnydale?" Wesley finally spoke, not looking forward to returning to the town that had created so much chaos in his life and ended his career as a watcher.   
"We'll head out with Willow and Tara. Giles is expecting you and Fred to help with research the demons I was able to see in my vision, so we're not going in completely blind." Cordelia turned to Gunn, "you'll be training with Buffy for the first few days."   
"One on one with the famous slayer?" He asked, "That should be interesting..." he grumbled, not liking the idea of having to be one-upped by anyone, especially someone as infamous as the slayer.   
"I know this isn't what any of us want... but if we don't take care of it in Sunnydale, it will end up in LA, which means our city is in danger too..." Cordy sighed, "this is my hometown, as much as I don't want to go back, my family is there, my friends, my home..."   
"We're with you Cordy, I was just sayin'." Gunn shrugged, "we're going to help save your people C, don't even think twice about it."   
"Thanks, Gunn..." She smiled, growing nervous as she realized how many loved ones she still had in Sunnydale that she had pushed away for so long. "Now, Angel, it's time for your big date with the Powers That Be..." Cordelia told him with a serious tone, but everyone else could hear the sadness she was trying to hide.   
"I won't let them take our memories, I promise." He whispered to her, she nodded a bit before kissing him quickly on the lips, ignoring the 'awes' the rest of the group let out. 

It wasn't long before Angel was standing in a dark room that's only light was candles burning. "I know you can hear me... and you know why I'm here." He said loudly, knowing the drill at this point.   
"The Champion got his gift without living up to his destiny..." A male voice echoed throughout the room.   
"But now he wishes to return it. To become a vampire again..." This time it was a female echo, her tone was laughing at him.   
"You saw Cordelia's vision, you sent it to her, I know there is something you want for me... I'll give you anything, but you have to turn me back, and you can't take their memories..." He spoke confidently, though he knew by the time he was being thrown against a wall that he should have thought of something else.   
"He always wants something..." The male echoed again, sounding angry.   
"Something that can't be done..." The female chuckled, "unless..."  
"I'll do whatever you want me to, just please... people are going to die." He begged, standing up off the ground.   
"People live and people die, it is the natural order of things." They said this together, "But we can grant you what you are asking, for a price..." this time it was only the female.   
"I'll pay the damn price!" Angel shouted, "just please, don't hurt my people..."  
"The vampire is in love..." The male voice laughed.  
"After we turn you back, there is no going back." The female voice made very clear, "until you complete your destiny that is, but that could take decades, is your seer prepared to wait that long?" she asked honestly.   
"The seer will wait however long it takes, we know that..." The male echo sounded annoyed, "but will the children understand?" he taunted.  
"Children?" Angel questioned, so far there was only Conner, who was years off of knowing what his father was, and about the woman who was raising him.  
"We can not tell you more, for you will have to wait and see. We will grant you your wish, but don't come to us again." The female voice spoke again, "your seer and friends will keep their memories, we shall not erase time... You will turn back in twenty-four hours, I suggest you make them count." The female was angry now, and before he knew it he was outside the room he had entered, not realizing in reality he had only been gone mere moments.  
Angel drove with the top down, the sunlight beaming into his convertible as he soaked up the last bit of sunshine he would get for what was told was the foreseeable future. His head was in a million places, the Powers had said children, not child. He couldn't quite figure that out. He did know one thing though, he was going to enjoy his last hours as a human.   
Once back at the hotel, he put all of the things the Powers had said behind him, at least for now. Angel swiftly turned the closed sign, leaving the rest of the group confused.  
"Angel, what happened? Is it bad? How bad is it?" Cordelia was the first to his side, but he just kept his grin, the grin that no one but Cordelia was used to still.   
"It wasn't bad... I may have used up my last favor with the PTB, but it's worth it." He promised.   
"Then why are we suddenly closed? Feeling emasculated without your Vamp strength?" Gunn taunted, earning a glare from his boss.   
"No, I just thought I'd spend my last twenty-four hours as a human doing human things... Like, having fun." He informed him, "so everyone go get ready, we're going to the beach!" Angel told them enthusiastically, earning looks of confusion from the whole gang, "what? I love the beach." He explained, but everyone did as told, going off to their separate rooms to get changed into more appropriate clothing.   
Once the rest of the group was gone, Cordelia gave him a serious look, knowing him well enough to know he was hiding something.   
"So, what really happened?" she questioned, putting Conner down in his bassinet.   
"They were vague as usual, but they told me we could all keep our memories..." He admitted, seeing the look of concern on her face once again.   
"At what price?" The brunette beauty asked, worried for him, but also herself.   
"I can't become human again until I fulfill my destiny." He explained flatly, and she knew what that meant, "they also said something I didn't understand about children..." That got an eyebrow raise for Cordy, Conner was and would be Angel's only child, the Powers That Be would make sure of that. "We'll figure it out later Cor, right now... We live like normal humans." Angel spoke softly, bringing her in for a hug, his lips landing on her forehead to comfort her. This was where he belonged, and the Powers had confirmed that she wasn't going anywhere. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if she should, it could be decades, why would she waste her life with a vampire who may never be able to love her the way that she deserved to be?   
"You take Conner and get him ready, I'm going to go change for this little beach day of yours." She grinned, kissing his lips softly before scurrying off to the room she had made her own over the past nine months. It seemed pointless to have her room, most nights she spent in Angel's room with him and Conner, and almost always fell asleep with them.   
Twenty minutes later, the group was back down in the lobby waiting for Angel to get him and Conner ready.   
"What do you think?" He grinned, happiness exploding from him as he showed off the matching black swimming trunks and white tee shirts.   
"You look adorable..." Cordy beamed, "and I grabbed Conner's sunscreen."  
"We packed a picnic." Fred chimed in, getting a 'really?' look from Gunn, "okay, I packed a picnic..." she chuckled, her tankini swimsuit showing through the white sundress she now wore with a pair of flip-flops. As for Gunn, he wore a pair of orange swimming trunks and a black shirt. Cordy however was the one Angel couldn't keep his eyes off, he could see the red bikini straps of her swimming suit under her white tank top and short cutoff shorts, paired with black sequined flip-flops. Wesley of course looked the most out of place in his Hawaiian print trunks, flip-flops, and white short-sleeved button-down. The others had to stop themselves from chuckling, but it wasn't like any of them had been to the beach in some time. Not with a Vampire and all that evil to fight.   
"You guys take my jeep, I want to enjoy the top down on the car without mister over here bursting into flames." Cordelia teased, throwing her keys at Wes who dropped them instantly.   
"We'll set up a nice spot and meet you there," Fred told them, knowing it would be a minute because they had to get baby Conner in his car seat and probably wanted to take a longer way. She understood what Angel was giving up, and what Cordelia was too. The Texan was just grateful they would always have this time right now.   
"Is it wrong that my selfish side wanted to spend the next twenty-four hours in bed?" Cordelia questioned once the rest of the group was out the door, causing the man in front of her to blush for the first time in what felt like forever.  
"I had that selfish thought too..." He admitted, "but I want one day in the sun with my girl, my son, and my friends." he explained and she nodded knowingly. They had no idea how long it would be until he would have a day like this again. "But, there is always tonight..." he suggested, watching her nod happily, giving him a little wink as she took Conner from his arms.   
"Come on big guy, we get to go play at the beach." She cooed, taken aback when he snuggled closer to her and said something she wasn't expecting.   
"Mama..." he muttered in his little voice, bringing tears to the hazel-eyed woman's eyes.   
"That's right, she's Mama." Angel beamed, watching the little boy look at her adoringly before turning his head to see Angel.   
"Dada" Conner surprised them again, leaving both of them in awe. It wasn't as if Conner hadn't said things similar before, he was eight months old, after all, but he'd never said it directly to Cordelia, and having Angel recognize that Cordelia was exactly that for him gave her a sense of love and purpose like she'd never felt before.   
"We better get going..." she finally told him, wiping the tears threatening to fall with the palm of her hand. Angel was still smiling from ear to ear, he may only have twenty-four hours to be human, but with his heart beating and the two people he loved more than anything right in front of him, he was in no rush.   
"I think we can be a little late..." The dark-haired man told her, bringing her in for a kiss. She placed her hand on his heart, feeling it beat as she kissed him back sweetly and gently, hearing a little coo from Conner that caused them both to chuckle.   
"I think this little guy is excited for his first beach day with his dad." She chuckled, bouncing the baby on her hip.  
"And his mom." Angel reminded her causing her famous smile.   
While Cordelia wasn't Conner's biological mother, she had done all of the things that made her his real mom. She'd taken him for his newborn shots, been up for days while he was a newborn, and through sleep training. She'd been there for midnight feeds, diaper blowouts, fed him his first solid food, sang to him, rocked him to sleep, and most importantly, treated and loved him as if he was hers. That's what made her his mother, and Angel saw all of that. She was his mother in every sense of the word.   
"Come on gorgeous, we don't want to keep the others waiting." She grinned, grabbing the diaper bag and Angel's hand as if it were second nature.   
With their fingers laced together, the couple made it outside to the car, the sun beaming down on them and they couldn't be happier. Cordelia strapped Conner into his car seat before buckling herself in the passenger's side, the smile not leaving her or Angel's faces. Once Angel was in the car, Cordy gave him a look, pointing to her seatbelt, "you're human now mister, the last thing we need is you dying in a car accident before you save the world just because you were too stubborn to wear a seatbelt..." she warned and he did as told, starting the car before grabbing her hand. They enjoyed the long way to the beach, listening to music and soaking up the sun as much as they could.   
Once there, they met up with their friends who were teamed up on a Volleyball match with another group. Wesley, of course, looked out of place, and quit after diving into the sand, leaving Cordelia to take his place. Once she was stripped down to her red bikini and no shoes, Angel couldn't keep his eyes off of her, which Wes was sure to snap a photo of. Fred had made a plea to stop by a drugstore and pick up as many cameras as she could so that this day would be well photographed, and also instructed Wesley and Gunn to be taking countless photos if they weren't otherwise engaged in something else.   
The group spent the entire day at the beach, laughing, playing, and the rest watched as Angel and Cordelia held Conner's tiny hands as he got his feet wet in the ocean for the first time. Fred was sure to capture that on one of the many cameras. They'd also had other people take group photos throughout the day, not wanting to miss a moment of the miraculous day. When the sun finally went down, they watched the sunset together, Cordelia curled up to Angel with Conner on her lap, Wesley next to her, and Fred, as always, between Wes and Gunn. It truly was the perfect day, but it wasn't over yet.   
Once they went back to the hotel the fun continued after they put Conner down for the night. Music was playing as the group dined on takeout, drinks in hand as Lorne joined in on the fun, singing along to every song. By two in the morning, the group was beat, all of them deciding to call it a night, with Fred offering to take Conner for the night so that Angel and Cordy could be alone.   
While the rest of the hotel slept, the seer and her champion took advantage of their time left. A night of passion soon became morning and the two humans were completely blissful, yet exhausted. As the sun began to rise, the two laid together in Angel's bed completely silent. They knew that the fight ahead was dangerous and people might die, but they had just had the best day and two nights that they would probably ever get, so they weren't thinking about the what-ifs.   
"Hello?" A familiar voice called throughout the hotel and Cordelia looked over at Angel with a pout.   
"I suppose it is back to reality." She sighed, getting up and wrapping herself in a sheet, "I'm going to take a shower really quick, I'll be down soon... Tell Willow she and Tara can start briefing the rest of the group and make sure Lorne is paying attention." She demanded, she'd never forgive herself if one of her visions ending up causing harm to Conner.   
After a quick shower, Cordelia came down the stairs of the hotel in a pair of flared jeans and one of Angel's tee shirts, just seeing her in his shirt caused his heart to skip a beat. Her hair was dry and down, with no trace of makeup on her face. She looked flawless. Seeing Willow, the brunette smiled, instantly going in for a hug.  
"Thank you so much for coming Will," she told her, the new huggy Cordelia without makeup was a big surprise to her redheaded friend, "and Tara, it's so nice to finally meet you." Again, going in for a hug. Willow's eyes were wide, looking over at Angel who couldn't keep the grin on his face.   
"You too, I've heard so many good...well, I've heard so many things about you..." Tara told her honestly, causing Cordy to chuckle a bit. She knew she hadn't been the best to Willow, or any of the Scoobies. But they didn't know the new her, the real her, the Cordelia who was good. It was who she had always been, but back in high school, she had been so insecure that she lashed out and made herself out to be the biggest bitch in Sunnydale history. So she didn't blame her friends for being surprised by who she was now. They'd get to know her though, as the woman she had blossomed into. The seer, the warrior, the mother, the friend, and most recently the girlfriend to a vampire that had quite the age difference on her.   
"Cordy, you look so... happy." Willow smiled in a quiet voice, understanding why once Angel rested his arm around her waist again. She felt a little guilty for being so happy for the brunette since her best friend was Buffy, and she was definitely not going to expect this but Buffy was also with Spike, some days anyway. She didn't blame Angel for moving on after so long.   
"We were just explaining how the protection spell will work," Tara spoke in her shy voice.   
"Right, basically we will set up a magical force around the entire hotel, and especially around Conner's room. She looked to the eight-month-old and couldn't help but smile, "the crystals around his room will go off if someone aside from Lorne approaches, but that is unlikely since we'll be spelling the whole place." She assured the team before looking at Lorne, "but we will need a little blood from you for the spell..." she admitted, watching Lorne squirm before nodding.  
"What's a little blood when it comes to the safety of that sweet boy." He told her, on board with the plan right away.   
As if on cue, Conner woke from his nap. The group could hear cooing from the baby monitor before he spoke, "mama" he mumbled, bringing a spark to Cordelia's eye. "I'll go change him and then you can meet the little guy all this fuss is about," Cordy told her and was off to Angel's office to swoop up the little boy.   
She came back moments later with a wide-awake Conner in her arms, and Willow couldn't help but smile; she looked like such a natural.   
"Will, you visit with your friends, if someone will show me to Conner's room I'll start setting up the alarm." Tara smiled, seeing that her girlfriend and old friend needed some catching up.   
"Thanks, baby." Willow grinned before kissing her softly, Fred, Gunn, Wesley, and Lorne all showed Tara up to Angel's room where Conner's crib was.   
"Do you want to hold him?" Cordelia questioned, offering the baby to a still mind blown Willow, who happily accepted, cradling the baby in her arms.   
"I've got to admit... this is not what I was expecting." The redhead said bluntly, but with a smile as she saw Cordelia take Angel's hand. "But it's nice to see you happy Cordy, and you too Angel." She admitted, staring at the couple. Willow wasn't one to judge, her friends, including Cordelia, had accepted her so completely when she and Tara started dating, she owed them at least that respect in return. She still wasn't sure how Buffy would feel about it, but Buffy was an adult, if she had a problem with it she'd get over it. Seeing how happy the seer and the vampire made each other though, she couldn't see Buffy being angry, hurt maybe, but that would pass.   
"So, if you don't mind me asking... How did this happen?" Willow finally questioned.   
"The baby, or Angel and I?" Cordelia grinned, offering the redhead with the baby in her arms a seat.   
"Both?" she questioned with a sly smile.   
"Well, it didn't happen overnight, Angel and I at least." she chuckled, "Conner, however..." she playfully glared at Angel who just shrugged innocently. "We've been working together for years now, it's hard to pinpoint when it all happened... But first, he became my best friend, then I got the visions, and eventually, the friendship turned into something more even if we didn't realize it at the time, and when Conner was born, or rather when he wasn't" she explained, "we became a family." Cordelia told her happily, gazing down at the little boy lovingly.   
"Do the visions hurt?" Willow asked, while the story was sweet and all, she had been very curious about how they worked for some time now.  
"Not much anymore, I mean when I first got them it was bad, then worse, one time I got these disgusting things all over my face, arms burned completely and nasty demon claw marks all over my body. But we found out that wasn't the Powers That Be, just some awful lawyers who highjacked my head..." She shrugged, watching the look on her friend's face, " they were kind of killing me at one point but when I became part-demon and they kinda just stopped bothering me... Except for the smell, and the feeling of other people's pain, but it's the price you pay." Cordy shrugged, and Willow's eyes nearly popped out of her head.  
"Part-demon?" She stammered, the story was becoming more and more interesting.   
"Yeah, that hurt like a bitch, but no tail, scaly grossness, or horns, so I'm taking it as a win," Cordelia said very nonchalantly, "sometimes I do this floaty thing though."  
"Wow," was all the redhead was able to say.   
"All done upstairs, I'm going to need your help with the rest of the hotel Will," Tara said, coming back down the stairs with the group of three behind her.   
"Right, magical forcefield." Willow nodded, handing Conner off to Cordy, "you guys go enjoy your last moments in the sun... We'll take care of the baby proofing." she told them both, knowing how hard it was going to be once Angel became a vampire again.   
"Thanks, Will," Cordelia smiled, taking Angel's hand and heading out the door to the garden area where Gunn and Angel had set up a swing set for Conner.   
The hours seemed to pass quickly, and before they knew it the sun was setting once again. What they didn't know was that Fred had been taking more pictures from the balcony on and off since they went outside. She'd caught random pictures of the three of them, one of them pushing Conner in his swing, a few stolen kisses, and smiles.   
"I guess we better go pack..." Cordelia finally said once the sun was completely down, Angel holding her and Conner close as he nodded. He could feel his heart racing, and in a matter of hours, that same heart wouldn't be beating at all.


End file.
